Feeding device for rivets or similar articles



May 6, 1952 M. s. SPRINGATE FEEDING DEVICE FOR RIVETS ORSIMILAR ARTICLES Filed May 1a, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l ,Z/VVENTOR Natl/"ice Shin/2y Sprinyafe y 43. W

A l'l'orn e y y 6, 1952 M. s. SPRINGATE 2,595,551

FEEDING DEVICE FOR RIVETS 0R SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed May 18, 1948 2 SI'IEETS'SHEET 2' 1 I lid:

INVENTOR Maurice LSrem/g S arI/ a he 35 MA A MW Afforn e Patented May 6, 1952 FEEDING DEVICE FOR RIVETS OR SIMILAR ARTICLES Maurice Stanley Springate, Oaklands, England, assignor to Aviation Developments Limited, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, England, an English joint-stock company Application May 18, 1948, Serial No.,27,s21-

In Great Britain May 23, 1947 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to feeding devices of a magazine'type for small articles such as solid or tubular rivets, sealing pins and the like which are urged in steps within the magazine to pass one at a time between jaws at the end of the magazine. Although notexclusively limited thereto the invention is of a special use formagazine type riveting gun of the kind in which rivets are threaded over the stemof the mandrel having an enlarged, e. g. pear-shaped head which is pulled through each rivet in succession in order to fix it in position by expandin the tail of the rivet, whilst the jaws are acting as an an anvil against which the rivet bears as it is expanded.

In such known feeding devices, the jaws are opened by co-operation, camfashion; with internal projections located at the outer ends of the jaws of the head of the emerging rivet or the like, as it is advanced.

According to the invention, a feeding device for rivets and the like, includes a tubular housing, at least two jaws protruding out of the forward end of the housing, each jaw being formed, at its protruding end with an internal lip and intermediate of its length with an external projection, and spring means serving to urge the jaws into the housing so as normally to hold the external projections on the jaws in contact with the forward end of the housing, so that the jaws are'in their closed positions.

Preferably, the feeding device includes an internal flange formed at the forward end of the housing, an externalflange formed at the rear end of each jaw, and a compression spring located between the said internal and external flanges serving to urge the jaws into the housing and normally to hold the external projections against the internal flange on the end of the housing.

A preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an external view of one form of the feeding device;

Fig. 2 is an end view looking at the lower end of Figure 1 in the direction of the arrow A;

Fig. 3 is an end view looking at the upper end of Figure 1 in the direction of the arrow B;

Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation through the feeding device showing the jaws in closed position;

Fig. 5 is a similar view to that of Fig. 4 illustrating the jaws in open position;

F g. 6 is an external view of a modified form of the feeding device according to the invention.

As illustrated, the feeding device comprises two split or diametrically opposed jawsl and 2 which are formed at their protruding or outer ends with internal lips 3 and intermediately of their lengths with shaped external projections 4 which are of progressively decreasing radial height or depth towards the inner ends of the jaws I, 2. At their inner ends, the jaws are formed with an external flange 5. To facilitate the assembly of the jaws I, 2, their shaped external projections 4 have flats 6 at opposite sides. The jaws l and 2 present between them a cylindrical passage 1 of such a diameter that the enlarged heads of the rivets 8 are an easy running fit in the passage 1. This passage or bore 1 is chamfered at its inner end 9 to facilitate the entrance of the advancing-rivet 8 or similar articie. At the outer or protruding end, the bore I of the jaws I, 2, is constricted in diameter at IU corresponding to that of the shank of the rivet 8 or similar article, the larger and smaller diameter bores I and II] respectively being connected by inclined surfaces l I which ride on the edge of the emerging rivet head 8.

The jaws l, 2, are located in a tubular housing [2, adapted to be screwed on or otherwise secured to the barrel [3 of a riveting tool or gun, not shown. The jaw housing [2 has a cap I211 threaded on its forward end and this cap is provided with an internal flange M at its outer end formed with an outwardly opening internal taper 15. A coiled compression spring [6 is disposed within the jaw housing i2 around the jaw members l, 2. The compression spring-l6 abuts at one end against the inner face of the internal flange M of the jaw housing I2 and at the other end against the external flange 5 of the jaws l, 2. The jaws may be inserted in the housing by first assembling the two jaws with the spring l6 surrounding them. The small ends of the jaws are then inserted into the cap l2a from the threaded side of the cap, before the cap is applied to the housing, and by displacing one jaw axially with respect to the other, the external projections 4 on the two jaws will pass through the opening in the cap In at separate times, and upon release of the two jaws spring [6 will cause them to seat properly on the tapered face I5 of flange l4 as shown inFigure 1.

The arrangement is such that the spring l6 urges the jaws I, 2, into their rearward, closed position in which the tapered surfaces of their external projections 4 and the tapered surface l5 of internal flange on the jaw housing 12 coact to prevent the jaws l, 2 from moving apart.

When the riveting gun is in operation, on the feed stroke the leading rivet 8 is pushed forward by the gun mechanism, not shown, the rivets being moved tail first along a mandrel [9 as in the case of a blind riveting appliance, within the internal bore 1 of the jaws l and 2, and the edge of the head of the leading rivet 8 engages the inclined surfaces I I formed at the outer or protruding ends of the jaws l, 2. As the force imparted to the advancing rivet 8 is greater than that of the coiled compression spring I6 acting on the jaws l, 2, such rivet 8, as it advances, shifts the jaws I, 2 axially forwardly, against the influence of spring is and parts them radially to permit the rivet 8 to pass axially therethrough and into contact with the enlarged head [8 of the mandrel. When the leading rivet 8 has cleared the jaws I, 2, the latter are returned by the coil compression spring IE to their closed positions and thereafter the front face I! of the jaws l, 2, acts as an anvil.

Upon the termination of the working stroke and during, succeeding feeding stroke the jaws I, 2 are again displaced by the next leading rivet 8 against spring influence.

Thejaws l, 2 may be made in various sizes and in a modified form of the invention as illustrated in Fig. 6 they may be curved so as to allow the operator to perform riveting operations in places which are difficult of access.

The improved jaws offer advantages both from the operational and from the manufacturing point of view. For example, when the jaws l, 2 are used in connection with blind riveting appliances, in which a tubular rivet 8 is expanded by the withdrawal of the head I8 of the mandrel l,9 therethrough, the locking action will be the greater, the. greater the load applied axially. Moreover, the closing of the jaws l, 2 after a rivet 8, has passed therethrough is assured and the jaws l, 2 are automatically restored to, and locked in their closed position by this action which may be repeated immediately so that the riveting operation may be carried out without any interruption.

The jaw mechanism is very simple and has a minimum of parts.

What I claim 1. A feeding device for rivets and the like, ineluding a housing, at least two jaws protruding out of the forward end of the housing, each jaw being formed at its protruding end with an internal lip provided with a tapered inner surface and intermediate its length with an external projection, and spring means comprising a helical spring located within said housing and acting against surfaces of said housing and said jaws in a direction to urge the jaws into the housing so as normally. to hold the external projections on the jaws in contact with the forward end of the housing, the contact surface of at least one of said contacting parts being tapered in a direction to urge the jaws towards their closed position.

2. A feeding device according to claim 1 in which the housing has an internal flange formed at the forward end, and the jaws each have an external flange at the rear end, said helical spring comprising a compression spring surrounding said jaws in the space between said internal and external flanges whereby the jaws are urged into the housing and normally hold theexternal projections against the internal flange at the forward end of the housing.

3-. A feeding device according to claim 1 in which the contour of the contacting surfaces of theexternal projections and the forward end of the housing are such as to permit relative movement under the action of said spring of the jaws and housingv into a final position of retraction of the jaws within the housing from which the jaws may not be opened without first being moved at least partly out of the housing.

-MAURICE' STANLEY SBRINGA'ITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this. patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,401,724 Dowdle June 11, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS- Number Country Date 113,538. Australia July 18, 1941 578,104 Great Britain June 14, 1946 

